Cuts to PEPFAR Program Could Reverse Decades of Progress on HIV
On January 20, the President Trump suspended nearly all foreign aid funding for what the administration called a 90-day review and evaluation. On Tuesday, authorization for a major HIV program called resident’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) expired, causing uncertainty around the future of this critical funding. Trump is considering ending this program, which was established under President George W. Bush.
Public health experts warn that these cuts would have devastating consequences for the fight against HIV/AIDS. Eliminating the program could cause up to 10.8 excess HIV infections and 2.9 million excess deaths globally by 2030, erasing many years of progress against this disease
Full Story: The Guardian
Kansas Reports New Measles Infections as Cases Continue to Spread Nationally
Kansas has now confirmed 23 measles cases in the ongoing outbreak. According to state health officials, the cases are concentrated in counties in the southwestern portion of the state. These counties have low vaccination rates, which has allowed the virus to spread in these areas. Twenty out of 23 of the cases were people who did not receive a measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The Kansas outbreak, combined with the outbreak in Texas and many other states, has put the US on a path lose its Measles elimination status. So far in 2025, the US has already confirmed more measles cases than it did in all of last year.
Full Story: CBS News
